By AFP
May 10, 2025
A Pakistani man waves the national flag as people celebrate after the announcement of a ceasefire between Pakistan and India, in Hyderabad, Sindh province, on May 10, 2025 - Copyright AFP Husnain ALI
Shrouq TARIQ, with Parvaiz BUKHARI in Srinagar
India and Pakistan traded accusations of ceasefire violations early Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced that the nuclear-armed neighbours had stepped back from the brink of full-blown war.
India’s foreign secretary said Pakistan had committed “repeated violations” of the truce and that it was retaliating, while Pakistan said it “remains committed” to the ceasefire and that its forces were handling violations by India with “responsibility and restraint.”
Earlier, AFP staff in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir reported hearing a series of loud explosions. A senior official in Pakistani-run Kashmir told AFP that “intermittent exchange of fire is ongoing” across the de facto border in the contested region, the Line of Control (LoC).
More details were not immediately available, and it was not possible to independently verify the claims.
On Saturday, Pakistan and India had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks which killed at least 60 people and saw thousands of civilians flee their homes along their border as well as in divided Kashmir.
The news had been surprisingly announced by Trump.
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” Trump posted.
India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri had said earlier that both sides would “stop all firing and military action on land, air and sea” with effect from 5:00 pm (1130 GMT).
He later accused Pakistan of “repeated violations” and said the Indian armed forces “are giving an adequate and appropriate response.”
Meanwhile, the foreign ministry in Islamabad said Pakistan “remains committed to faithful implementation” of the truce.
Accusing India of committing its own violations, it said Pakistan’s forces “are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint.”
It called for ceasefire issues to be handled “through communication at appropriate levels” and urged troops on the ground to also exercise restraint.
On X, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country “appreciates” the US intervention.
“Pakistan believes this marks a new beginning in the resolution of issues that have plagued the region and prevented its journey toward peace, prosperity and stability,” he wrote.
– ‘Vigilant’ –
The conflict was touched off by an attack last month in the Indian-administered side of Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.
India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation — of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.
Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule from New Delhi.
The countries have fought several wars over the territory, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.
“The ceasefire is a positive step,” said Bilal Shabbir, an IT consultant in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, before the claims the truce had been violated.
“In war, it’s not just soldiers who die, it’s mostly civilians — and in this case, it would have been the people of Kashmir.”
In Srinagar, resident Sukesh Khajuria was more cautious.
“The ceasefire is welcome, but it’s difficult to trust Pakistan. We have to be vigilant,” he said.
Both sides will pay a high price economically for the conflict.
Pakistani military sources claimed its forces had shot down at least 77 Israeli-made high-tech drones — debris from some of them was seen by AFP reporters — while Indian officials said they had destroyed hundreds of Pakistani drones, many Turkish-made.
Pakistan also says it downed five Indian warplanes — including three French Rafale fighter jets — although New Delhi has not confirmed any losses.
Independent verification of claims by either side has been difficult.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ceasefire came after he and Vice President JD Vance engaged with senior officials on both sides.
Rubio also said on X that they had agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.”
News of the ceasefire was met with relief internationally, after increasing calls for both countries to step back from the brink.
China, which borders India and Pakistan, said Beijing was “willing to continue playing a constructive role” and remained concerned with any escalation, according to state-run news agency Xinhua, which said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had spoken to officials in both countries.
burs-st/ss
India and Pakistan traded accusations of ceasefire violations early Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced that the nuclear-armed neighbours had stepped back from the brink of full-blown war.
India’s foreign secretary said Pakistan had committed “repeated violations” of the truce and that it was retaliating, while Pakistan said it “remains committed” to the ceasefire and that its forces were handling violations by India with “responsibility and restraint.”
Earlier, AFP staff in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir reported hearing a series of loud explosions. A senior official in Pakistani-run Kashmir told AFP that “intermittent exchange of fire is ongoing” across the de facto border in the contested region, the Line of Control (LoC).
More details were not immediately available, and it was not possible to independently verify the claims.
On Saturday, Pakistan and India had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks which killed at least 60 people and saw thousands of civilians flee their homes along their border as well as in divided Kashmir.
The news had been surprisingly announced by Trump.
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” Trump posted.
India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri had said earlier that both sides would “stop all firing and military action on land, air and sea” with effect from 5:00 pm (1130 GMT).
He later accused Pakistan of “repeated violations” and said the Indian armed forces “are giving an adequate and appropriate response.”
Meanwhile, the foreign ministry in Islamabad said Pakistan “remains committed to faithful implementation” of the truce.
Accusing India of committing its own violations, it said Pakistan’s forces “are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint.”
It called for ceasefire issues to be handled “through communication at appropriate levels” and urged troops on the ground to also exercise restraint.
On X, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country “appreciates” the US intervention.
“Pakistan believes this marks a new beginning in the resolution of issues that have plagued the region and prevented its journey toward peace, prosperity and stability,” he wrote.
– ‘Vigilant’ –
The conflict was touched off by an attack last month in the Indian-administered side of Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.
India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation — of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.
Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule from New Delhi.
The countries have fought several wars over the territory, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.
“The ceasefire is a positive step,” said Bilal Shabbir, an IT consultant in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, before the claims the truce had been violated.
“In war, it’s not just soldiers who die, it’s mostly civilians — and in this case, it would have been the people of Kashmir.”
In Srinagar, resident Sukesh Khajuria was more cautious.
“The ceasefire is welcome, but it’s difficult to trust Pakistan. We have to be vigilant,” he said.
Both sides will pay a high price economically for the conflict.
Pakistani military sources claimed its forces had shot down at least 77 Israeli-made high-tech drones — debris from some of them was seen by AFP reporters — while Indian officials said they had destroyed hundreds of Pakistani drones, many Turkish-made.
Pakistan also says it downed five Indian warplanes — including three French Rafale fighter jets — although New Delhi has not confirmed any losses.
Independent verification of claims by either side has been difficult.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ceasefire came after he and Vice President JD Vance engaged with senior officials on both sides.
Rubio also said on X that they had agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.”
News of the ceasefire was met with relief internationally, after increasing calls for both countries to step back from the brink.
China, which borders India and Pakistan, said Beijing was “willing to continue playing a constructive role” and remained concerned with any escalation, according to state-run news agency Xinhua, which said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had spoken to officials in both countries.
burs-st/ss
Panicked Indians flee Kashmir city on special train
By AFP
May 10, 2025
The panicked crowd scrambled to get on the train - Copyright AFP Money SHARMA
Arunabh SAIKIA
Desperate crowds fought Saturday to board a special train ferrying people out of Jammu in Indian Kashmir and away from the worst fighting with Pakistan in decades.
Baton-wielding policemen blew whistles to try and restore order as people — mostly poor workers from central and eastern India — furiously elbowed each other and hurled abuses to get on board.
The train, sent by the federal government, took those lucky enough to secure a place to the Indian capital New Delhi, about 600 kilometres (400 miles) south of Jammu, free of charge.
Karan Verma, 41, originally from Chhattisgarh in central India, has been a mason in Akhnoor near Jammu for two decades and thought of it as home.
But now he wants out at any cost.
“There are loud explosions the entire night,” he said. “There is no choice but to leave.”
Some people lifted babies and young children and flung them to family members who had managed to beat the crowd and board.
“There should be more trains,” said Suresh Kumar, 43, from Madhya Pradesh state, dragging his brother away from a fight with another passenger.
Nisha Devi, her three children and her husband could not get a space on the train to return to the distant eastern state of Bihar, their home province.
“If I got on that train, it would have been like walking into a death trap with the children,” she said philosophically.
– Civilian deaths –
This latest bout of Indo-Pakistani fighting was touched off by an attack last month in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men.
The nuclear-armed rivals have fought several wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since independence from Britain in 1947.
India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation — of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied involvement.
Pakistan said it launched counterattacks on Saturday after India struck three of its air bases overnight following days of clashes involving fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery.
More than 60 civilians have been killed amid fears that the conflict will spiral into all-out war.
In a series of calls to senior officials in both countries, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged them to restore direct communication to “avoid miscalculation”.
Teklal Padmani Lala clung to metal bars at the entrance of one of the compartments as the special train prepared to depart Jammu.
“I will go like this the entire way till Delhi,” he said — and further if he has to.
By AFP
May 10, 2025
The panicked crowd scrambled to get on the train - Copyright AFP Money SHARMA
Arunabh SAIKIA
Desperate crowds fought Saturday to board a special train ferrying people out of Jammu in Indian Kashmir and away from the worst fighting with Pakistan in decades.
Baton-wielding policemen blew whistles to try and restore order as people — mostly poor workers from central and eastern India — furiously elbowed each other and hurled abuses to get on board.
The train, sent by the federal government, took those lucky enough to secure a place to the Indian capital New Delhi, about 600 kilometres (400 miles) south of Jammu, free of charge.
Karan Verma, 41, originally from Chhattisgarh in central India, has been a mason in Akhnoor near Jammu for two decades and thought of it as home.
But now he wants out at any cost.
“There are loud explosions the entire night,” he said. “There is no choice but to leave.”
Some people lifted babies and young children and flung them to family members who had managed to beat the crowd and board.
“There should be more trains,” said Suresh Kumar, 43, from Madhya Pradesh state, dragging his brother away from a fight with another passenger.
Nisha Devi, her three children and her husband could not get a space on the train to return to the distant eastern state of Bihar, their home province.
“If I got on that train, it would have been like walking into a death trap with the children,” she said philosophically.
– Civilian deaths –
This latest bout of Indo-Pakistani fighting was touched off by an attack last month in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men.
The nuclear-armed rivals have fought several wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since independence from Britain in 1947.
India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation — of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied involvement.
Pakistan said it launched counterattacks on Saturday after India struck three of its air bases overnight following days of clashes involving fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery.
More than 60 civilians have been killed amid fears that the conflict will spiral into all-out war.
In a series of calls to senior officials in both countries, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged them to restore direct communication to “avoid miscalculation”.
Teklal Padmani Lala clung to metal bars at the entrance of one of the compartments as the special train prepared to depart Jammu.
“I will go like this the entire way till Delhi,” he said — and further if he has to.
Weary border residents in Indian Kashmir struggle to survive
By AFP
May 9, 2025
Mohammad Naseem, a hotel chef, said his neighbours laughed when he built a bunker under his home - Copyright AFP SAJJAD HUSSAIN
Parvaiz BUKHARI
Mohammad Naseem says his neighbours laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border.
But this week when mortar bombs rained in Salamabad, 38 people — men, women, and children — huddled in it as about a dozen shells exploded outside in quick succession.
One of them destroyed Naseem’s home.
“Many of us would have died had we not moved into the bunker,” Naseem, a 34-year-old hotel chef, told AFP.
“We grabbed our children and rushed inside. It got so packed that after some time we felt suffocated, two of our children became unconscious,” he said.
“The children had to be hospitalised after daybreak when the shelling stopped.”
Other villagers hid behind rocks and bushes on the mountain slopes. Some watched their homes being reduced to rubble.
Deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an April 22 attack on tourists on the Indian-run side of the disputed territory, which killed 26 people.
Pakistan denies the charge.
– ‘Our life is worth nothing’ –
“We took our children out and went up the mountain slope holding them tightly as bombs exploded around us,” Naseer Ahmed Khan, 50, said outside his damaged house on Thursday.
“Our life is worth nothing. At any time entire families could be wiped out,” Khan said. “Our children are not able to sleep and we cannot have a meal in peace.”
The exchange of heavy fire has destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes in Uri, about 100 kilometres (66 miles) from the Kashmir capital Srinagar, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla, about 50 kilometres away.
Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker told AFP that about 10 percent of Uri’s population — some 22,000 people — fled since the latest fighting began.
On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars.
“How can we stay here?” Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. “The government should lodge us somewhere safe”.
Begum’s daughter, Saima Talib, added: “We have nothing left except the clothes we are wearing”.
Displaced people are struggling to find food and work and many are now sheltering in government buildings in Uri.
– ‘Return empty’ –
Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a road construction worker, said: “I work as a labourer with army’s border roads organisation but their work also stopped.”
“This morning I came to the market looking for work but there is nothing,” Bhat said.
Some vegetable sellers briefly set up shop before closing.
Mohammad Bashir was also despondent.
“I came to the market to find some work so I can buy some food for my family (of eight) but there is nothing,” Bashir, 60, said.
The death toll from India and Pakistan’s biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each accusing the other of staging drone attacks in waves.
Farooq Ahmed Khan, 35, a bus driver from Sultandhaki village near the border, said “this fighting has made our life miserable.”
Nagni, a rare mixed settlement of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, sits on mountain slopes near the Indian army’s border headquarters in Uri.
Villagers say 35 of the 50 families there have fled.
Badal, a 22-year-old student who only gave his first name, was cleaning up after his sister’s wedding at his freshly painted home.
– ‘There should be war’ –
He showed a crater caused by a mortar bomb that landed a few metres away on the night of the wedding.
“Luckily there was no loss of life but a lot of damage. What we need.. is bunkers, but there are none”.
“This village has always been a target of Pakistani attacks in the past because the (Indian) army headquarters are nearby,” said Sahil Kumar, another Nagni resident.
Locals say they are fed up.
“I say there should be a war just to decide where Kashmir goes,” said Farooq Ahmed Khan, the bus driver.
“I will also go to fight in that war so that this trouble ends for good,” Khan said.
By AFP
May 9, 2025
Mohammad Naseem, a hotel chef, said his neighbours laughed when he built a bunker under his home - Copyright AFP SAJJAD HUSSAIN
Parvaiz BUKHARI
Mohammad Naseem says his neighbours laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border.
But this week when mortar bombs rained in Salamabad, 38 people — men, women, and children — huddled in it as about a dozen shells exploded outside in quick succession.
One of them destroyed Naseem’s home.
“Many of us would have died had we not moved into the bunker,” Naseem, a 34-year-old hotel chef, told AFP.
“We grabbed our children and rushed inside. It got so packed that after some time we felt suffocated, two of our children became unconscious,” he said.
“The children had to be hospitalised after daybreak when the shelling stopped.”
Other villagers hid behind rocks and bushes on the mountain slopes. Some watched their homes being reduced to rubble.
Deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an April 22 attack on tourists on the Indian-run side of the disputed territory, which killed 26 people.
Pakistan denies the charge.
– ‘Our life is worth nothing’ –
“We took our children out and went up the mountain slope holding them tightly as bombs exploded around us,” Naseer Ahmed Khan, 50, said outside his damaged house on Thursday.
“Our life is worth nothing. At any time entire families could be wiped out,” Khan said. “Our children are not able to sleep and we cannot have a meal in peace.”
The exchange of heavy fire has destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes in Uri, about 100 kilometres (66 miles) from the Kashmir capital Srinagar, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla, about 50 kilometres away.
Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker told AFP that about 10 percent of Uri’s population — some 22,000 people — fled since the latest fighting began.
On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars.
“How can we stay here?” Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. “The government should lodge us somewhere safe”.
Begum’s daughter, Saima Talib, added: “We have nothing left except the clothes we are wearing”.
Displaced people are struggling to find food and work and many are now sheltering in government buildings in Uri.
– ‘Return empty’ –
Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a road construction worker, said: “I work as a labourer with army’s border roads organisation but their work also stopped.”
“This morning I came to the market looking for work but there is nothing,” Bhat said.
Some vegetable sellers briefly set up shop before closing.
Mohammad Bashir was also despondent.
“I came to the market to find some work so I can buy some food for my family (of eight) but there is nothing,” Bashir, 60, said.
The death toll from India and Pakistan’s biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each accusing the other of staging drone attacks in waves.
Farooq Ahmed Khan, 35, a bus driver from Sultandhaki village near the border, said “this fighting has made our life miserable.”
Nagni, a rare mixed settlement of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, sits on mountain slopes near the Indian army’s border headquarters in Uri.
Villagers say 35 of the 50 families there have fled.
Badal, a 22-year-old student who only gave his first name, was cleaning up after his sister’s wedding at his freshly painted home.
– ‘There should be war’ –
He showed a crater caused by a mortar bomb that landed a few metres away on the night of the wedding.
“Luckily there was no loss of life but a lot of damage. What we need.. is bunkers, but there are none”.
“This village has always been a target of Pakistani attacks in the past because the (Indian) army headquarters are nearby,” said Sahil Kumar, another Nagni resident.
Locals say they are fed up.
“I say there should be a war just to decide where Kashmir goes,” said Farooq Ahmed Khan, the bus driver.
“I will also go to fight in that war so that this trouble ends for good,” Khan said.
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